Product Description

One of today’s most talented and beloved directors takes center stage in The Ron Howard Spotlight Collection, featuring four of the Academy Award winning Director’s most unforgettable and highly-acclaimed films: A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Cinderella Man and Backdraft. This 8-disc collectible set showcases some of Hollywood’s most acclaimed stars such as Academy Award-winners Tom Hanks, Russell Crowe, Renee Zellwegger, Jennifer Connelly, and Robert DeNiro in enduring stories of inspiration and triumph. Loaded with four discs of bonus features, The Ron Howard Spotlight Collection is the definitive way to experience the most prestigious films of one of our most masterful storytellers.

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

The Growth of a DirectorNov. 17 2008

By
The Movie Man
- Published on Amazon.com

"The Ron Howard Spotlight Collection" is an eight-disc box set containing four Howard-directed features, including the Best Picture Oscar winner "Beautiful Mind," the story of brilliant mathematician John Nash (Russell Crowe). The set also contains a heap of bonus extras, including an introduction by Howard himself, deleted scenes, theatrical trailers, feature commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and documentaries on the real individuals portrayed. "Backdraft" is a fairly routine story about two feuding firefighter brothers (Kurt Russell, William Baldwin) who have to set aside their personal differences in order to survive the infernos set by a maniacal arsonist. Fire is the real star, with spectacularly staged sequences that look incredibly dangerous. Drama-wise, the movie is a familiar reworking of a classic plot and offers few surprises. "Apollo 13" is riveting drama with the all-star cast of Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, and Ed Harris. Here we have the true story of a space flight that would have ended in disaster were it not for the coordination of flight and ground crews to bring the astronauts back safely. In the confines of a claustrophobic space capsule, Howard manages to make a tale whose outcome is known, gripping. "Cinderella Man," a fine movie that did poorly at the box office, takes place in Depression-era America. Down-and-out boxer Jim Braddock (Russell Crowe) has a young family but few prospects. Desperate, he accepts an offer to do battle with the reigning world heavyweight champ, proving himself a popular underdog and a champion of the common man.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

Ron Howard excells in these 4 well directed moviesDec 29 2011

By
B Leuri
- Published on Amazon.com

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The quality of the multipack is excellent, it is well presented and has eight DVD's, two for each film.

The extra packs and special features are the type and quality normally found on 19.99+ original release editions.

The packaging of the group as a whole is far superior to normal multipacks containing double sided discs in a cheap plastic sleeve.It makes an excellent gift pack for anyone who might enjoy these films.

Quality of acting is high, the production quality excellent and the special effects generally superb. There were a few less than realistic points in Backdraft but fire scenes are notoriously difficult to simulate.

The stories themselves are not my normal preference, but so well depicted that each movie draws the viewer along for the duration.

From a very personal viewpoint I'd rate the films overall as follows, out of 5 stars.

I never thought I'd rate a boxing movie as 5*, but it is so well executed from the sets through the acting to what appears a very realistic and detailed portrayal of the period that I discovered it to be enthralling in the way it tells a timeless tale.

Enjoy or gift, you or the recipient is unlikely to be disappointed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Opie...he's All Grown Up Now!Nov. 30 2012

By
being_and_time
- Published on Amazon.com

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These are solid story/character-driven movies that also just happen to be beautiful on visual and auditory levels. Watching any one of these movies (w/o the TV commercials) is a personal event. Howard allows you to live through the characters...with some suspense thrown in.

All 4 Come TogetherOct. 30 2014

By
gobirds2
- Published on Amazon.com

A BEAUTIFUL MIND and CINDERELLA MAN are a truly touching films directed by Ron Howard. If you are not familiar with the stories I will only say that to give away any details of this movie would be inappropriate. A BEAUTIFUL MIND builds at an interesting pace and is lethargic at times , yet it remains intriguing and emerges into a heartfelt statement about our true selves and the meaning of love, commitment and the essence of mind and being. Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly give brilliantly realistic performances and make this film work. A lot also has to be said of James Horner's insightful and moving score, which only enhances the viewer's insight and response to the film's statement. This film is beautiful and one of Ron Howard's best. CINDERELLA MAN tackles a different subject matter but once again our hero Russell Crowe has to come to realizations and overcome insurmountable odds. CINDERELLA MAN was oddly overlooked at the time of its release. That was a shame. APOLLO 13 is thoughtful inspiring film. BACKDRAFT is one of Ron Howard's most watchable films. There is as much subtlety as there is in your face pyrotechnics in BACKDRAFT. Each time I watch it I see something new, something I missed. It all comes together. These 4 films are great films.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Great moviesJan. 24 2014

By
Murphy55
- Published on Amazon.com

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Great movies, wonderful price! An excellent price for all three movies, and my Tweens love backdraft and Apollo 13. They have watched it many times, and no problems